Conservation and Stewardship

The provincial parks system preserves provincially significant ecosystems, landscapes and cultural resources. Provincial park lands make up 27 per cent of the Saskatchewan Conserved and Protected Areas Network (PCAN) that is the cornerstone of the government's Saskatchewan Biodiversity Action Plan.

Provincial park lands cannot be replaced. They demonstrate the balance between preservation for the future, and its use for research, presentation and educational recreational uses today.

Lands Administered by the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport in Saskatchewan

Ecosystem Management

Our provincial parks and recreation sites are natural ecosystems that produce clean water and air and support an amazing diversity of native animals and plants, including several of species at risk. They are popular as tourism and recreation sites because they are healthy and attractive ecosystems.

Without healthy and vibrant ecosystems, the beauty of our parks will fade and they will cease to be prime recreation sites. To conserve and protect parks, we must work to reduce the harmful effects of surrounding human activities.

We work with nature to safeguard the forests, prairies, waters, plants and animals across the system. To meet this challenge requires resources, innovative thinking, communication, education and co-operation – all qualities that are second nature to Saskatchewan people. Now, more than ever, we must work hard and long to conserve and protect what matters most in our parks.

Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) is based on the ecosystem concept, in which an area of land is seen as a system made up of air, water, soil, plants, animals and microbes, interacting with each other through ecological processes. Saskatchewan park land is being managed using an EBM approach. The Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport has approved ecosystem management plans for following parks:

1. Ecosystem-based Management Plan for Meadow Lake Provincial Park (2019)
2. Forest Conservation Management Plan for Meadow Lake Provincial Park (2019)
3. Ecosystem-based Management Plan for Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park (2021)

The plans will guide management of Saskatchewan park ecosystems to ensure ecological integrity while improving the aesthetic and the opportunities for recreation and education in a safe outdoor environment. The plans will be reviewed every 10 years, or after significant natural disaster events, to identify changes in the ecosystem and the corresponding management actions. For more info on the Ecosystem-based Management Plan and Forest Conservation Management Plan in Saskatchewan Parks, please contact katherine.standen@gov.sk.ca or pat.mackasey@gov.sk.ca.

Cultural Resource Management

Many provincial park lands contain archaeological sites, sacred plants and special sites associated with the first inhabitants. They preserve not only the tangible resources associated with past events; they also preserve the intangible values that people place on these sites.

The provincial park system contains sites and features associated with:

• early Indigenous peoples
• the fur trade
• North West Mounted Police
• the 1885 Resistance
• settlement

Academic Research and Permitting Process

Academic research is encouraged on lands administered by the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport (PCS), as it enhances understanding of the values and characteristics of park ecosystems and contributes to PCS educational and interpretive programs.

PCS and the Ministry of Environment have implemented a harmonized process for Wild Species Research Permitting. See the following mail-out messages:

• Academic Research Permitting - Changes For 2020!
• Academic Research Application Form (Araf) Has Been Posted!

Academic Research Permits ensure:

• Projects are screened for potential harmful effects on park ecosystems, wild species and park visitors;
• Park managers are aware of your project and can limit disturbance to research activities by planning park operations and programming around them, to the extent possible;
• PCS gains knowledge resulting from research activities that can be used to inform park management objectives and educational and interpretive programs;
• Data from research activities goes into the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre (SKCDC) to inform conservation planning as well as species assessment and ranks.

How to Apply

• Use this link to access the Academic Research Application Form (ARAF);
• Complete the ARAF, append required documentation as per instructions in the ARAF, and submit it to AR.reserachpermit@gov.sk.ca;
• Contact the PCS Research Permit Administrator with any questions regarding lands administered by PCS.

For more info on Academic Research Permits:

• Visit the Wildlife Research Permitting webpage
• Bookmark this handy link to the Publications Centre: Wild Species Research Permitting for easy access to form and documents.
• Email AR.researchpermit@gov.sk.ca
• Subscribe to our Mail-out Lists to receive updates on Research Permits, Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre (SKCDC), and the HABISask online mapping application.